Promise
by ForeverHalfa
Summary: There she was, less than one hundred feet away. This is who I had been battling for, who drove me to complete my quest...and I've finally found her at long last. *Cutscene from "The Gate of Time"*


I passed through the glowing door that bore the symbol of the Goddess. I was exhausted after fighting Moldarch, the overly large scorpion that inhabited the Lanayru Mining Facility. Moldarch hadn't been that difficult of an opponent in comparison to Ghirahim, but he had left a nasty cut across my cheek. Thankfully, I had dodged a majority of the claw so the wound wasn't too severe, even if the pain was. I knew Zelda was on the other side of the door, and it was that sole thought urging me to keep going.

I saw a faint light grow as I ascended the stairs, suggesting that I was finally back in the outside world. Apart from the stinging sensation in my cheek, I felt a smile touch my lips as the wind caressed my face softly.

With renewed vigor I climbed the stairs all the way to the top, occasionally jumping in step sizes of three or four. As I slowed my approach close to the top, I was shocked to hear a familiar voice that I thought I might never hear again.

Zelda.

Her hands glided over the harp effortlessly while her voice accompanied with an almost ethereal sound. Zelda sounded just as she had on the day of the Wing Ceremony, if not a little bolder. I turned my head towards her voice, my jaw dropping as I did so.

Zelda was standing next to the cryptic woman I had met at Eldin Volcano. The woman stood next to Zelda without any form of motion, her eyes trained on the mysterious rotating gears in front of her. The largest gear, light purple with sky colored accents, held many symbols that I was unfamiliar with while two darker ones kept it in place. Behind it was a symbol of the Goddess, except this one seemed to be supporting a figure with three equilateral triangles. I had no idea what it meant, but the sun setting behind it gave it a majestic yet unrealistic feel, which is something that I encountered often since my descent to the Surface.

Once Zelda finished singing, she looked over her shoulder, as though she sensed my presence. She gasped and she gave me a warm smile.

I had finally found her.

I ran towards her with the biggest smile I could possibly muster. I didn't need to speak, just seeing her alive and well was enough for me. Zelda lifted the bottom of her pure white dress in an attempt to run faster. I was so glad, so glad in fact that I failed to feel the approach of evil. The rocks that had previously blocked my path exploded forward, nearly missing Zelda and the mystery woman. I covered my face, chunks of debris and dust soared past my face.

Laughing.

I knew who it was immediately, the aura giving off large and immeasurable amounts of dark energy which turned the sky as dark as night. It was the Demon Lord, Ghirahim.

He jumped from the cover of dust, swinging his black katana like sword as he separated me from Zelda. Without any hesitation he looked over to me, and with a swing of his sword my path to him was cut off by a barrier of diamonds.

I looked over to Zelda and the woman, both of whom seemed startled by his sudden appearance. Ghirahim gave a small chuckle of triumph, hand sliding over the blade of his sword in an almost mocking gesture. He turned towards Zelda, crouched, and sprinted forward at a speed that I could hardly follow. The woman rushed ahead, dead set on deterring Ghirahim from Zelda.

"Impa!" Zelda screamed, clutching the Goddess Harp closer to her chest. A barrier of blue magic suddenly appeared, effectively stopping the blow of Ghirahim's dark sword.

Ghirahim frowned and pulled his sword away while Impa continued to extend her palms in a form of defense. Ghirahim then smiled madly and furiously attacked Impa with his sword. The mage grunted, retaining a calm façade with her brow creased in concentration to try-and hopefully maintain-the shield that was obviously taking up a good deal of her energy.

"Your Grace! Quickly, to the gate!" Impa yelled. I looked towards Zelda, who in turn looked over at me. She ran along the bridge parallel to mine while I continued to cover my face from the heat of Ghirahim's shield; I watched her grow closer from out of the corner of my eye.

"Link!" She yelled, jarring me from my frozen position. She held the harp over her head as golden light began to surround it. "Link, here! You'll need this where you're going!" The harp turned into a golden comet, skyrocketing into the air as it sailed the gap between us and into my hands. The golden light dissipated, its warm aura cascading around my face and unknowingly to the barrier beside me.

"Go! Now!" Impa screamed. Zelda began to climb the stairs to the Gate of Time, nearly tripping over her dress as she did so. I checked the barrier next to me, which was almost gone for what was then an unknown reason. Just a few more seconds...

I realized quickly why the shield has dissipated so quickly, while I thought it was partially because of Zelda's magic, it was largely because of the massive amount of energy that Ghirahim was focusing into his sword. I could sense it as well as the woman, Impa, could. Her eyes widened tremendously and she bit her lip in frustration. I quickly stored the harp with my extendable pouch and drew my sword, silently running behind Ghirahim.

The sword met the shield.

Impa was thrown back as her protective shield shattered, rolling until she was only a few feet from the base of the stairs. Ghirahim gave a low maniacal laughter, one that sent shivers down my spine as I continued my silent approach. Zelda turned out of fear, her hands clasping over her mouth as she made her way over to the fallen woman. I ran forward, jumping into the air as I prepared a vertical airstrike against Ghirahim. The Demon Lord heard my descent and quickly sidestepped, back flipping towards the entrance to the Gate of Time.

The Goddess Sword collided with the ground with a dull thud, the shockwave travelling up my arm in pain. I quickly shook off my abrupt landing and fell into a position of defense in front of Zelda and Impa.

"...Link." Impa murmured, clutching her right arm. Thinking back to what had happened at the Earth Temple, I gave her a small smirk as I looked over my shoulder to face her.

"Am I late?" She gave a weak smile, knowing exactly what I was referring to.

"No, you're right on time." I turned back to Ghirahim and raised the Goddess Sword above my head, bathing it in the sacred power given to me by the Goddess.

"Protect Zelda." I say through clenched teeth.

"I will. You have my thanks, Link." I hear her run towards the Gate of Time with Zelda in tow where I heard the footsteps abruptly halt.

"Link!" I looked over my shoulder once more but kept my peripheral vision trained on Ghirahim. "You must go now! Return to the old woman at the Sealed Grounds. Tell her what has happened here. She will know where you must go! And know that we will-"

"I'll see you again! This isn't good bye, Link! I promise!" I hear Zelda scream. I see the woman push Zelda further into the gate. The two disappear into the portal and the ball of light Impa was holding drops to the ground, destroying the Gate of Time in a blinding flash of blue light.

I look Ghirahim in the eye, anger surfacing as I wait for him to attack me out of vengeance.

"Now you've done it, Link!" He balled one of his hands into a fist while the other tightly gripped the sword that he pointed at me dangerously. "I blame myself. I should have reprimanded you the last time we met, but instead I was...soft." He lowered his sword. "I'd take pleasure in punishing you, but I have no time for recreation. But next time I'll do more than beat you senseless! I'll make the affair so excruciating that it'll deafen you from the sound of your own screams!" He swung his sword clockwise, a trail of darkness trailing behind before it faced skyward, evaporating the Demon Lord into a mist of diamonds.

I kept my sword at the ready, poised for a sneak attack by Ghirahim. I quickly lowered my guard though, feeling the disappearance of Ghirahim's aura from Lanayru Desert. I sighed in relief as the sun returned and I whirled around to face to collapsed Gate of Time. The dust was finally settling and I couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness overtake me. I looked at the symbol of the Goddess, my shoulders hunched over in defeat despite the breathtaking sight before me. I lifted my head, a single tear streaking my cheek.

"Promise?"

**Written as a gift for my friend, Ben, who convinced me to play Skyward Sword a few weeks ago... And I wouldn't have guessed it to become an obsession of mine ^^". Also, a shout out to Midnight Glider who lovingly beta-ed this for me, thanks sis! I hope you enjoyed it and thank you very much for reading!**

_**Foreverћalfa**_


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